This invention relates to an earthquake resistant support structure for an existing residential room. More particularly, the invention relates to a support structure which employs corner members anchored to each of the vertical corners of a room, straight bars mounted between the corner members, and a pair of cables extending diagonally between the corner members designed to protect occupants of the room during an earthquake.
An ordinary framework of many residential houses and apartments has proven inadequate to withstand the forces from earthquakes. Consequently, many residential houses and apartments are damaged by random motions generated during an earthquake which may cause severe cracking or collapsing of walls and ceilings. The collapse of buildings is responsible for most of the property damage and loss of life during an earthquake. The destructive forces of an earthquake not only leaves behind damaged property and loss of life but also leaves behind psychological scars to those individuals who experience it. They are frightened by the possibility of another earthquake striking, and as a result, often have trouble sleeping inside their house. Thus, it is desirable to have a support structure that can be easily installed into an existing residential room, and at the same time, provide the occupants of the room with an assurance that the additional support provided by the support structure will prevent the walls from breaking apart and the ceiling from collapsing during an earthquake.
A variety of different devices has been designed for withstanding forces from earthquakes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,028 to Bouchon discloses an earthquake-resistant partition for sealing an opening formed in a wall of a room containing radioactive material. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 5,331,786 to Lippert discloses an earthquake brace for a residential garage front wall to stiffen the wall against wind or earthquake. U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,126 to Pedrego discloses an earthquake-resistant protective enclosure for a human being which is constructed as an integral part of a desk or table.
Despite all these earthquake protective devices, there is still a further need to provide an improved earthquake resistant support structure. Such an earthquake resistant support structure can be readily incorporated into an existing residential room. Moreover, such an earthquake resistant support structure, when properly installed, should sufficiently strengthen the existing framework of the building so as to allow the building to resist a wide range of forces that the building may experience during an earthquake.
While these units mentioned above may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.
It is an object of the invention to provide an earthquake resistant support structure which can be readily incorporated into an existing residential room.
It is another object of the invention to provide an earthquake resistant support structure which provide the occupants of the room with an assurance that the additional support provided the support structure will prevent the walls from breaking apart and the ceiling from collapsing during an earthquake.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an earthquake resistant support structure which is capable of sufficiently strengthening the existing framework of the building so as to allow the building to resist a wide range of forces that the building may experience during an earthquake.
The invention is an earthquake resistant support structure for an existing residential room comprising four corner members anchored to each of the vertical corners of the interior of the room and four straight bars mounted between the corner members for preventing the walls from forcibly breaking apart during an earthquake. The earthquake resistant support structure further comprises a pair of cables extending diagonally between the opposite corner members for protecting occupants of the room from falling ceiling that might be generated during an earthquake. When the earthquake resistant support structure is properly incorporated into every room within a building, the system of support structure adds strength to the existing framework of the building, thereby preventing severe cracking or falling or walls and ceilings during an earthquake.
To the accomplishment of the above, and related objects, the invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being part of the invention, limited only by the scope of the claims.